The bacteria Achromobacter lyticus produces a lytic enzyme and an alkaline protease; the lytic enzyme is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 42953/71 and, the alkaline protease, which was discovered by the present inventors and given the name Achromobacter protease I is described in Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, vol. 42, page 1442 (1978).
As a result of further detailed investigations on enzyme systems, particularly protease systems, produced by Achromobacter lyticus, the present inventors have found by fractionation of isoelectric point focusing electrophoresis using Ampholite (trademark of LKB Co., Ltd.) having pH 3.5 to 10 that a protease obviously different from protease I is present. The present inventors have further succeeded in isolating a novel protease from the fraction and named the fraction protease Ia (hereafter the novel alkaline protease of the present invention is referred to as protease Ia).
The present inventors have extensively investigated a method for obtaining the enzyme and various properties, as well as a method for utilization of the enzyme.